Transcendence
by White Wolf Phoenix
Summary: (MLP: FIM) A new mysterious shop springs up in Ponyville, along with it's owner. What could this new arrival mean for the Elements of Harmony? Could it mean disaster for all of ponykind? New challenges to be faced, new dangers to defeat and another prophecy that spells the end of all that has come before. Please read and review.


Transcendence

Author's Notes: The start of my first MLP fan fiction. Please tell me what you think. All opinions and comments Welcome.

Special thanks to Snowygrin for her assistance

in perfecting my storytelling abilities.

Ponyville was a place of tranquillity. A place of bright colours, joyful laughter and sweet natured ponies. No one had decided that it would be so, it seemed a mass consensus that whoever came to Ponyville had only happy thoughts and good intentions.

Therefore, when it came to pass that a new shop appeared on the main street it was no wonder that it stirred up immediate interest. It's façade was painted dark blue, and it's interior was blocked from sight by heavy black velvet curtains drawn across the showing window. Emblazoned in silver curling script above the door named the mysterious shop as being called "The Other Side."

Not one of the ponies had seen the proprietor of the shop, and many swore that the place had sprung up literally overnight. One day it was a plain shop front, empty and barren with whitewashed walls, the next it had received a new coat of the dark paint and had transformed completely.

The shop stood, locked, for a number of days after appearing. Some ponies even doubted that it was a real shop. After all, what kind of shop looked like that? What could it possibly sell that would interest anypony?

At least, most ponies thought that way. There were a few exceptions, however. Namely, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie.

Twilight, with her innate curiosity and thirst for knowledge, had an overwhelming urge to explore inside. To find out all of its secrets and hidden treasures.

Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, wanted to meet the shop owner. To extend her hoof in friendship and have a big party to celebrate the arrival of a new member of the community.

But whatever their reasons, they were united in dragging their other three friends out mid-morning to go and see if 'The Other Side' was open yet. "What do you think could be inside?" Twilight mused, trying her best to find a tiny chink of curtain out of place in the front window that she could catch any glimpse through.

"Who cares?" Rarity whined. "It's so dark and gloomy looking. Nothing worthwhile could come from a place with so little taste."

"Yeah." Rainbow dash added her views to the conversation. "There's probably nothing cool to look at in there or anything. Most likely dusty furniture and old pots or something."

"It looks scary." Fluttershy added, hiding behind Rainbow Dash and peeking from behind the blue pony's wing.

Apple Jack, who was restlessly pacing up and down the pavement, chimed in. "T'aint scary Fluttershy, it's jus a waste o' time. I got things to do, ya know."

Twilight ignored them. "It must be something strange and exotic… Maybe some kind of bookshop." She smiled widely at the thought. "Oh, I hope it is a bookshop. They might have books on foreign places, and legends, and all sorts of things!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Only Twilight could get excited over books. Now give me a good racing goods shop, and I'd understand, but books?"

Pinkie, meanwhile, was bouncing on her hooves by the door of the shop. "I heard somebody in the cake shop say that it's supposed to be opening this morning."

"Um." Fluttershy hedged. "But it's nearly ten o'clock…"

Unphased, Pinkie began dancing on the spot with repressed energy. "That only means they have two more hours to open till it's not morning anymore."

Rarity groaned, yet again. "You don't expect us to wait out here all morning, do you? I have work that needs to be done too."

It was at that exact moment that the sign placed in the window of the door, the dimensions of which were far too small to see anything past the obstruction of the sign itself, was turned. From the moment it had first been seen to this second it had read 'Closed for business." Now, it proclaimed to the ponies on the street 'Open for business'. Pinkie Pie gave out a squeal that made ponies the entire length of the street turn to stare at the group. "It's open! Look! Look! It's open!"

Flushing with embarrassment at the attention, Fluttershy hid back behind Rainbow Dash. "Oh my…"

Rarity took in a deep steadying breath. "Well then, let's go inside and see what is so amazing about this place. Then we can go home and say no more about it."

Applejack strode to the door. "About time, too. Hurry up, you lot, before Fluttershy bursts inta flames from all these ponies gawpin at us."

Pushing the door open, Pinkie pie was the first into the shop, followed closely by Twilight and Applejack. The others sloped in after them, non-to-enthusiastic at the prospect of investigating the new establishment.

Inside, the room was lighted by a set of glowing orbs that almost seemed to float near the ceiling. Almost all natural light from the street outside was blocked by the heavy curtains, but the soft radiance seemed to suit the atmosphere. In shades of blue and purple the illumination lent a further air of unreality to the interior of the shop. Rarity looked around, wide eyed. "Well, who would have thought that such a dreary exterior could hide this?"

"Yeah." Rainbow dash agreed, watching the light of a nearby blue orb, as it played over a set of silver charms that lay on a navy blue cushion. "And this sure is

strange stuff, too."

Applejack joined the others in staring around her. "I'll say…"

Pinkie, meanwhile, was being typically Pinkieish, and staring under each and every table, pulling up the deep red, blue, purple and green velvet cloth of the table coverings and staring fixedly for a moment, before moving on to the next. Twilight stopped in her browsing of the book section (which she had found within seconds of entering the shop) to look at her. "Pinkie… what are you doing?"

"Looking." Pinkie stated, matter-of-factly, pulling up yet another table cloth.

Applejack bent and peered under the table alongside Pinkie. "Fer what?"

"For the pony that turned the sign around, of course." Pinkie looked at her. "Somepony had to turn the sign."

"Well of course 'somepony' had to." Rainbow commented. "But why are you looking under the tables?"

Pinkie stood up straight, having finished her inspection. "Well, you didn't see anyone when we came in, right?"

"U-um… no…" Fluttershy didn't sound wholly sure, but she had been hiding at the back of the group, so this wasn't entirely unexpected of her.

"Well then, I'm looking to see where they are, silly." She gave the others a distinct 'well duh' look.

Rarity shook her head. "But of all the places to look, why under the tables?"

Pinkie gave her trademark giggle and began hopping around the room, checking to see if there were any tables she had missed. "Because, you find the most interesting things under tables."

Applejack was about to comment on that observation, when a new voice entered the conversation. "I must say, I do agree."

The group as a whole turned to see the speaker. She was a unicorn of average height and build. Her coat and mane were the same shade of deep violet, and her green eyes sparkled with amusement. Natural to form, Rainbow Dash was the first to respond to the stranger's remark. "What?"

" I said that I agree with your friend. Many interesting things can be found in strange places, such as under tables. Although I am afraid I am not one of them. Greetings, I am the owner of this shop. My name is Midnight Rose."


End file.
